Frere Jacques
by Alex E. Andras
Summary: She knew that the pair would lie in silence, neither acknowledging that the other was still awake, both pretending that the other was asleep. After the death of their mother, the Storm siblings have trouble sleeping...


Frere Jacques

Summary: She knew that the pair would lie in silence, neither acknowledging that the other was still awake, both pretending that the other was asleep. After the death of their mother, the Storm siblings have trouble sleeping...

* * *

It was the tiny sounds of movement outside of her bedroom door that had awoken her.

For a moment she lay in the darkness, eyes wide, clutching her bear to her chest, wondering if a burglar had gotten into the house and past there aged dog, and then she heard a soft sniffle outside the door, and realised.

Silently, she sat up, and then stood, toes curling as they left the warmth of her duvet and sheets, and unfurling again as she slipped them into pink slippers. For a moment she toyed with the idea of switching on the bedside lamp, and then decided not to. The light would be too bright for her eyes at this moment in time, and it would probably wake her father.

It was on that thought that she crossed the few steps from her bed to the door, and tugged it open. She showed no surprise to see her younger brother stood there, Blond hair mussed from sleep, toes wriggling on the cold tile floor, a ragged, well-loved bear clutched to the chest of his spider-man pyjamas.

"Johnny?" she asked, her voice barely more than a sleep-filled whisper. They both jumped at the voice though, loud in the hall, and stood frozen, listening for their father.

No noise came, and both relaxed, and her attention returned to her little brother.

"Johnny?" she repeated, carefully stepping up to the boy. He raised his head at her approach, tears falling unchecked down his cheeks, and she frowned softly before drawing the smaller boy into a hug

"Have you had a nightmare?" she asked softly, feeling him nod against her chest.

"Mummy gone," he whispered softly, tears evident in his voice, and Sue shuddered for a moment, visions and voices flitting through her head.

"Would you like a drink?" She asked eventually, once she'd pushed the thoughts away. There was a time for them, and she needed to comfort her brother now. He nodded again against her chest, and she unwrapped her arms, letting him slip one of his hands into hers as they both tip-toed down the hall.

The kitchen door swung open soundlessly at Sue's touch, and she bit her lip as she slowly flicked the light switch. The siblings bit back their exclaims as the bright kitchen lights flickered on and assaulted their vision, and before the bright orbs had cleared she felt the warm fur and wet nose of their dog push against her hand.

She offered Johnny a small smile now, trying to reassure him when she saw clearer the pale face and tear tracks. She released his hand, and he scrambled for one of the chairs around the table, the dog following him faithfully, and Sue stepped across the kitchen, pulling a glass from the dishwasher and then moving across again to tug the fridge open.

She paused now, scanning the contents, and then chanced a look back to her little brother. Johnny was sat silent and still at the table, tears still running unchecked down his cheeks, the dog sat staring up at him, tail wagging slowly, as though unsure of itself, and a small noise of distress arose from the dog's throat.

The picture before her settled her indecision, and she pulled out the chocolate milk, pour her little brother a full glass before returning the carton to the fridge.

She set it down on the table before Johnny, and sat down opposite him, pulling a tissue from the box on the table as she watched Johnny silently down the drink, not pausing for air, as though hoping to drown himself in the midnight treat.

He came up for air only when the glass was empty, setting it down on the table as he gasped and gulped in air. Sue moved forwards now, wiping at his face with the tissue, clearing away the now drying tears, smiling softly, reassuringly, and he shakily returned the smile.

"Better?" she asked, and smiled more strongly when he nodded. They left the glass and tissue abandoned on the table, turning off the kitchen light as they left the room. The dog still following faithfully as they entered Johnny's room.

Sue released her brother's hand at the door of the room, walking across and switching on the lava lamp on the desk. The lamp filled the room with a soft glow, and she beckoned Johnny over to his rumpled bed, helping him to clamber into it and then moving away to close the bedroom door tight. The dog had settled at the end of the bed by the time she had returned to it, and Johnny was staring at her with teary eyes. She gave him another reassuring smile, and clambered onto the bed beside him, wrapping her arms around her arms around him, laying her head beside his, her breath falling onto his bare neck. She knew that he would not sleep, and neither would she. Not now, after his nightmare and her thoughts of their mother. She knew that the pair would lie in silence, neither acknowledging that the other was still awake, both pretending that the other was asleep, and she knew that her breath on his neck would sooth him, for he had come to her room for the fear that she was hurt, or dead, for the nightmare would have been of their mother, and she was now the closest thing he had to the woman.

X

The alarm clock ringing shrilly pulled a groan from Franklin's lips, and he blindly hit the snooze button. He silently cursed himself for drinking the night before, for his hangover was telling him now that he had drunk a fair bit, and he knew that the children were at home, and not staying with their aunt as they usually did these days…

Muttering under his breath, his rose from the bed, frowning at the fact that he was still fully clothed from the day before, but did not even attempt to change from his creased clothing, instead stumbling from the room and down to the kitchen.

He frowned as soon as the kitchen door was opened, his aching mind trying to tell him what he knew was wrong with the room, and then he realised that the table had extra things on it that he knew were not there when he had stumbled to bed the night before.

He turned on his heel, and walked back down the hall from the kitchen. Pausing outside of one of the closed doors, he set his ear to the wood, trying to hear past his pounding head.

Silence. And he slowly pushed the door open, allowing a little of the daylight in the hall to flood into the room.

The dog looked up from its place on the bed, before setting head back onto paws, apparently content in its position on the furniture. Franklin was forced to smile at the set up, dog sprawled across the bed, the lava lamp on the dresser dimly lighting the room, and the two blonde children, his children, lying curled up together, asleep on the bed.

No, he corrected himself, Sue was asleep, her hair splayed out on the pillow behind her, arms wrapped securely around her younger brother. Johnny had not slept in the same room as anyone for six months now, not since Mary had died. Even now he was awake, his eyes had been closed, but as the door had opened they had shot open, staring up at his father, the black rim to his eyelids testament to his insomnia, his arms wrapped around a shabby bear, though he was seemingly content to lie within his sisters grasp.

Silently, Franklin moved across the room, switching the lava lamp off and twitching the curtains open slightly. He shooed the dog off the bed for a minute so that he could straighten the covers out over his two children, and hen leant over, placing a kissing on Sue's head as the dog jumped back onto the bed, and then knelt down to look at Johnny.

"Try and get some rest, kiddo," he whispered, and though they both knew he wouldn't, Johnny nodded, and closed his eyes again as his father brushed a kiss over his forehead, and quietly left, closing the door softly behind him.


End file.
